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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24907990">Little By Little</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanficsat2AM/pseuds/Fanficsat2AM'>Fanficsat2AM</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bad Roceit, Betrayal, Heartbreak, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Implied/Referenced Sex, Implied/Referenced Sexual Content, M/M, Prinxiety - Freeform, Roman does a no-no, say no to this</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 03:29:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,253</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24907990</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanficsat2AM/pseuds/Fanficsat2AM</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Virgil goes on a weekend long trip to see him and his husband, Roman's, best friends Patton and Logan, Roman is left alone at home. Suddenly, he receives an unexpected visit from his brother's snakelike boyfriend and the two get a little too friendly.</p><p>Inspired by Say No to This (and the events/songs after) from Hamilton. You don't have to know the songs/plot to understand the story though.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>83</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. I'll Miss You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Virgil stood in the front doorway on Saturday morning, 5am. A black suitcase sat on the floor beside him, stickers of purple patches scattered over it and matching his hoodie. The sight was bittersweet; Roman's heart fluttered at the sight of his husband looking so angelic, but knowing he was leaving now made him unhappy. Seeing this, Virgil rolled his eyes and walked over to him, enveloping Roman in a warm hug. </p><p>"I'll only be away for the weekend. That's two days max, though I predict I'll be home late tomorrow night," he assured the princely man. Roman groaned, returning the hug. "I know, but still." Virgil chuckled and pulled away, resting his hands on the other's biceps.</p><p>"Well, just hang in there. I'll make sure to tell Patton and Logan you miss them and bring home some of Pat's cookies. Alright?" Roman nodded, giving him a smile.</p><p>Both knew Patton's cookies were the best.</p><p>"I gotta go now." Virgil tilted his head up and pressed his lips onto Roman's, who quickly returned the gesture. For a moment they shared a passionate kiss until Virgil broke away, leaning back. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow or Monday. I love you!" Virgil stepped back into the doorway and blew a kiss to Roman before picking up his suitcase and walking to their car. "Bye!"</p><p>The emo climbed into the car, putting his bag in the passenger seat. Roman waved as he backed out of the driveway and drove off.</p><p> </p><p><em>I'm</em> <em>alone.</em> </p><p> </p><p>Roman closed the door and walked into the kitchen, sitting at the table. <em>What have I never been able to do while Virgil was here? </em></p><p><em>Singing? No, I've sung </em>plenty<em> of times while he was here, I have his groans of annoyance ingrained into my brain as proof. Dancing? No, I've done that plenty too. </em>Roman cracked a smile, remembering the times he convinced his husband to dance with him. Virgil was clumsy at first and still was- though not as much.</p><p>He brainstormed for a while, but couldn't come up with anything. <em>I guess Virgil really is the perfect husband</em>.</p><p>In the end, Roman couldn't find anything he couldn't do while his husband was present, so he simply decided to watch TV. He headed upstairs into his and Virgil's room and sprawled onto the bed, grabbing the remote from the nightstand and turning on the television at the opposite end of the room. For a while he just watched TV, surfing movies on Disney +. After a while he made himself breakfast, then went back to watching movies. Soon he got restless, though, so he went for a jog. When he came back, he scrolled through Instagram for a bit before making himself lunch. Next he went swimming for a few hours, simply swimming laps. Once he tired himself out, Roman pulled up a musical bootleg and made himself an early dinner.</p><p>He peacefully finished his hot pocket and put the plate on the nightstand, snuggling into the pile of blankets he'd engulfed himself in. <em>Life is boring without Virgil here</em>, h concluded. <em>I miss him.</em></p><p>Then he heard a knock.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. An Unexpected Visitor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Roman's head turned lazily towards the bedroom door. <em>Who could be awake and knocking at this hour? </em>The clock read 11:48 pm. <em>Guess I should go check.</em></p><p>He wiggled out of his blanket cocoon and trudged out of the bedroom, then downstairs. Another knock came as Roman stumbled to the door and peered through the peephole.</p><p>Outside, there was a man bathed in the light that the motion-censored porch light gave off. A black hat sat on his head, casting a shadow over his face. A black cloak was pulled tightly around him, color matching that of his hat and the only other detail being a two headed snake emblem on the right of his chest. The man shifted and lifted his head, allowing Roman to see his face. His eyes were heterochromatic <strong>(The only hetero thing about him) (Sorry I couldn't resist)</strong>: his right eye was dark brown, and his left was just a much lighter brown. It was so light it almost yellow, like a snake's. Along his left cheek was a curved scar running from his mouth to his ear. It was enough for Roman to recognize the person:</p><p>Janus.</p><p>He was his twin brother Remus' boyfriend and the two had come over to Roman and Virgil's house once or twice. They were both quite sinister but in different ways. Where Remus was chaotic, Janus was smooth. They complimented the other's personality traits; somewhat opposites, but having the same malicious intent.</p><p>Upon recognizing Janus, Roman quickly unlocked the door and swung it open. Janus' head whipped to look in his direction and now Roman could see that his cheeks were wet. </p><p>"Janus? What are you doing here?" Suddenly Janus flung himself at Roman, wrapping his arms around his torso. "Wha-" Roman managed, stumbling back a bit. "Janus? What are you doing?" The snakelike man sobbed, shoulders shaking. "Remus, he- he..." Roman, quickly realizing Janus was crying, straightened. "Woah woah woah, shh, hold on. Come inside, go to the kitchen. Give me like five minutes, okay?" Janus, lifting his tear stained face, nodded and removed himself from Roman. He walked in the direction of the kitchen, sniffling. Roman quickly closed the front door and hurried to the kitchen as well, filling the kettle with water and beginning to boil it. Janus sat on one of the island stools, watching Roman. "Where's Virgil?" he asked quietly. "Visiting friends for the weekend," Roman responded nonchalantly. He swore he could see the corner of Janus' mouth twitch upwards, but thought nothing of it.</p><p>"Okay, now tell me what happened," Roman said, sitting in the stool next to him. </p><p>"W-Well, me and Remus got in a fight. Basically I wanted him to get a job because it was hard for me to keep paying the bills alone and pay for basic supplies like food <em>and </em>keep paying the fees for the stuff Remus vandalized or broke." The kettle began to whistle so Roman got up and turned it off. "Go on," he said, grabbing hot chocolate packets and making their drinks. "He didn't want to, and he said he could never get or keep a job if he tried." At this, Roman chuckled as he brought their hot chocolates to where Janus was sitting. "Probably true," the princely man replied, sliding onto his stool. Janus shrugged, testing his hot chocolate to see how hot it was. "Still."</p><p>The two discussed Remus for a bit, finally finishing their hot chocolates as Roman suggested Remus try freelance work. Janus was not as sad anymore, actually quite happy now that Roman was coming up with good solutions. <em>Logan would be proud,</em> Roman thought.</p><p>"When do you think you're going back to your house?" Roman asked, glancing at the clock. 12:25 am. "I dunno, actually I was wondering... can I stay here for the night?" Janus requested. "Well, I don't see why not. You can take the guest bedroom." His mouth broke into a grateful smile. "Thank you Roman." "No problem. I do my best to help those who suffer at the hands of my brother."</p><p>After putting their cups away, Roman showed Janus the guest bedroom. "-and if you need anything, I'll probably be up for another hour or so watching In the Heights," Roman concluded, gesturing to his own room. "Actually, um, can I watch with you? I doubt I'll be able to sleep for a while after everything," Janus said. "Oh, uh, sure."</p><p>Roman walked into the bedroom, Janus trailing behind. The TV was somehow still on, paused at a scene with four girls and a salon. "Here, let me restart it real quick," Roman muttered as he walked over to the nightstand, beginning to grab the remote. Suddenly,  however, Janus grabbed his wrist. Roman whipped around to face the snakelike man- who was now much closer than before. He could feel Janus' breath against his own lips.</p><p>"Oh Roman, why don't we try something else?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Forbidden Kisses and Cookies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Roman furrowed his eyebrows. "Wh-What?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Janus smirked and gently pushed Roman onto the bed, climbing on top of him so his hands were on either side of Roman's head. "You want to know the real reason I came here?" he said. Roman's heart pounded, an unpleasant feeling in his chest beginning to form.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Me and Remus are in a fight, so I obviously couldn't run right back to him. You, however, are his twin brother. I imagine you are somewhat alike in bed, not to mention probably cleaner," Janus explained slyly, pulling off his cloak to reveal a yellow tank top and black sweatpants. "...So here I am."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Roman's eyes widened and tried to push Janus off of him. "No no no, Janus, I know what you mean but I can't. I have a husband!" he insisted. Janus allowed himself to sit ontop of the other's waist, straddling him. Blush creeped onto Roman's face. "He doesn't have to know," Janus murmured, leaning down. He began to kiss and suck at Roman's neck. "Janus, stop. You have a boyfriend!" The comment went unnoticed and Roman shivered as Janus found his sweet spot. "So?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, you're cheating on him! And if I were to condone this behavior, I'd be doing the same!" he insisted, again trying to push Janus off of him. "It's not cheating if they don't find out." "Yes it is!" Janus lifted his head from Roman's collarbone, and Roman was horrified when he realized he missed those lips on his skin. "Oh come on, Roman. I know you like it~"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Roman could reply, Janus pressed his lips against Roman's. He almost gasped at the action. Janus was kissing him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Janus was kissing him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>A small part of him knew that this was wrong, that he shouldn't be doing this. Another part, however, knew that Roman loved it. That he desired Janus in that moment. It was wrong, but it felt amazing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he kissed back. Roman felt Janus smile against his lips before kissing again, full force. He fumbled around and found the end of Janus' tank top, beginning to peel it off of him. Then he began to take off his own Disney shirt as Janus sucked at his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In those moments, Roman forgot about Virgil.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>---------</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Here we go!" Virgil smiled blissfully as Patton set a plate of cookies in front of the three of them at the table. He plucked one from the plate and took a bite, savoring the sweetness of Patton's famous chocolate chip cookies. "Thanks so much Patton, these taste amazing," Virgil said. Logan quickly nodded, taking another bite of his cookie. "The secret ingredient is love," Patton replied, selecting a cookie of his own from the plate. "Sure it is," Virgil chuckled, finishing the treat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For about half an hour, they talked about Patton and Logan's lives while eating the delicious cookies. Patton made sure to make another batch for Virgil to take home to Roman, which led to the next topic of conversation. "So you left him at home?" Patton said, eyebrows raised, and Virgil nodded. "On one hand, I'm proud of you for not being too anxious to stay with him and make sure he's not kidnapped or something." Virgil grinned proudly. His anxiety had been getting better since him and Roman's marriage- maybe it was because of his husband, maybe it was not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"On the other hand though, I definitely think you could've brought him here. The house isn't going to get robbed in one day,” Patton explained. "Actually, the chances of getting ro-” Patton cut Logan off, hushing him before kissing him. “Another time, okay?” Logan nodded and turned back to Virgil. “I, too, am glad you’ve eased up though. Now, would you like to engage in going on a boat ride? Patton insisted on cleaning it yesterday even though we clean it quite frequently and it wasn’t grimy in particular,” he said, gesturing to Patton who squealed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “Oh my goodness yes, I made sure that Maria was in tip-top shape for today! I guess the mystery of the ride is quite fore-</span>
  <em>
    <span>boat</span>
  </em>
  <span>ing,” Patton told them, elbowing Logan at the pun. In response, Logan covered his eyes with his hand and sighed disappointedly. Virgil chuckled and shook his head. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Water</span>
  </em>
  <span> you upset about, Logan?” This time Logan’s hands clenched into a fist. “Every single day,” Virgil heard him mutter under his breath. He laughed again, grabbing another cookie, before standing up. “Let’s go, shall we?” “We </span>
  <em>
    <span>shell</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” “Patton I SWEAR TO GOD.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A Horrifying Discovery</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Roman and Janus stayed up well into the night, and it was about 1:30 when they finally went to sleep. Therefore, it was no surprise that they were tired and didn't wake up early. It was no surprise that Roman didn't wake up when his phone chimed with a text from his husband at around 9am:</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>My Dark Prince: I'm coming back early today, I should be back at around 2 judging by yesterday's traffic. See you soon 😘 </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>----</p><p>Virgil smiled as he pulled into the driveway- despite it only being a day, Virgil had begun to miss the house and his husband.</p><p> </p><p>Patton and Logan wore him out the first day with a boat ride, but anxiety had begun to gnaw at Virgil's consciousness. What if someone broke into their house? What if someone kidnapped Roman? What if Roman got hurt? What if Roman got killed?! </p><p>These thoughts filled his mind and the couple could tell, so they had Virgil go home early. "We'll come visit you guys next time," Patton had joked. So Virgil had agreed and texted Roman that he was coming home early. He didn't expect traffic to be so good, but then again, it was early Sunday morning.</p><p>Virgil grabbed his suitcase and climbed out of his car, walking up to the front door. He grabbed his keys, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. "Hello? Roman?" he called into the house. No response. Virgil checked his phone: 12:27. Roman probably wasn't up yet then- without Virgil's supervision and constant nagging, he had probably stayed up late watching Disney movies or various musicals.</p><p>The emo set his bag by the door and went upstairs, stopping at their room. He grabbed the handle and gently knocked, opening the door quietly. "Roman?" he whispered as he opened it. "Ro, are you awa-" as he opened the door more, he could see Roman's naked figure on the bed. This wasn't unusual- him and Roman either slept in just their boxers or their pajamas, more often the latter. However, the thing he noticed after is what cut him off.</p><p>There was another person, naked, sleeping in their bed with Roman.</p><p>Virgil gasped, eyes widening. "Roman?!" he said, more loudly this time. Roman shifted and opened his eyes, spotting Virgil. The other man shifted so his head was now turned to Virgil. Now that his face was visible, he recognized the imposter- Janus. Remus' boyfriend.</p><p> </p><p>"Virgil?" Roman asked blearily, propping himself on an elbow and blinking. Then he instantly realized the problem here. "W-Wait, Virgil?! Oh god, Virgil, it's not what you think-" "It looks to be exactly what I think," Virgil said, raising his voice a bit. Janus sat up and looked between the two. "This is gonna be good," he muttered under his breath. </p><p> </p><p>"Virge, honey, I'm so sorry, I swear I-" Roman was cut off again as Virgil whipped around and headed back down the stairs. "Wha- Virgil! Wait!" He stumbled out of bed and quickly threw on a red hoodie and sweatpants before running after his husband.</p><p>"Wait!" Roman called out to Virgil. He was putting his suitcase, which he had left at the door, in the passenger seat. "Why should I?" Virgil snapped, making Roman flinch back. He had never heard his husband use that voice before. It sounded completely and utterly hurt, broken. "Be-Because I will explain! Janus came to me last night because him and Remus were having a fight. Then he asked to stay the night and I let him have the guest room but then he came in our room and advanced on me!" Virgil looked at him like he had just asked him an insulting question. "And you let him? Come on, Roman, I know you're stronger than him." At this, Roman looked down at the floor guiltily. "Exactly. You <em>let</em> him." </p><p>Virgil swung himself into the car angrily and turned the key. "Wait! Where are you going?!" The emo ignored him and backed out of the driveway. Before he fully drove off, though, Virgil gave Roman a look that shattered his heart into a million pieces. It was filled with hurt, betrayal, sadness, and a hint of anger. A look he'd never seen before, and even if he had, he'd hope it wouldn't have been directed at him. Then, Virgil slammed on the gas and sped off, leaving Roman standing alone on their doorstep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Refugee</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Virgil rapped three weak knocks onto the oak door in front of him. Shuffling could be heard inside, followed by footsteps. Then, the door swung open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Patton looked confused, and even more so when he realized it was Virgil standing on his doorstep. "Kiddo, what are you- oh my goodness, what happened?!" Patton exclaimed as he realized that there were black tears (from his eyeshadow) running down Virgil's cheeks. The moment Patton finished his sentence, Virgil burst into tears, hunching over and covering his face with his hands . "Virgil! My gosh, come here. Logan!" Patton quickly wrapped the other in a big hug, cradling him like he was his son. More footsteps came from behind the door and then Logan appeared. He quickly assessed the situation and pushed the two inside to the couch, grabbed Virgil's suitcase from the doorstep, closed the door, and started boiling water. He set Virgil's bag next to the staircase. Finally he joined the two on the couch, where Patton was cradling a crying Virgil to his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Virgil, what happened?" Logan asked, sitting on the right of the emo. Virgil slowly pulled away from Patton's chest to face Logan. His cheeks had black tracks running down them and his eyes were red and puffy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So... so I went home and entered the house. It was quiet, so I thought Roman had just stayed up late and was still sleeping. I went upstairs, opened th-the door, and then-" Virgil lost control, breaking down into a series of quiet sobs. After a series of assurances from Patton and Logan, he spoke again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ro-Roman was lying in bed naked with Janus!" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil hunched over and began crying again. Patton and Logan looked at each other with wide eyes. They knew Janus, since they had been introduced to him along with Remus at a gathering forever ago. They knew Janus was bad, but this was unexpected. "Wait, so he committed adultery?" Logan asked, horror lacing his voice. "Logan, I thought you were smart," Patton joked quietly. "That's not the right usage of adultery!" Before Logan could correct him, Patton turned back to Virgil.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Roman cheated on you?" Virgil nodded, face hidden by hair falling around his face as well as his hands. "Ugh, that selfish, pompous, man!" Logan cried, surprising Patton by the emotion lacing his voice. Logan could almost always mask his emotions, but when it came to his friends, it was a little harder to hide.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What happened after that?" Patton asked. "I left. Roman chased after me, but I didn't- and still don't- want to talk to him." Virgil slipped his phone out of his hoodie pocket and scanned his lock screen: Roman had spammed him with text messages. He didn't care to read them, though- he wasn't sure if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> read them, could bring himself to do it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think you’re going to go back? You’re more than welcome to stay here if you’d like, kiddo,” Patton offered. Virgil looked up hopefully, glancing between Logan and Patton. “Really?” “Of course, you’re our friend and we’d do anything for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Logan and Patton were suddenly pulled into a hug. Virgil had an arm around each of their shoulders and buried his head in Patton’s chest. “Thank you so much.” It was muffled, but made the others smile. “It’s no problem Virgil. Anything for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>----</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Roman watched as Virgil drove off, leaving him standing alone on the porch. His heart ached. Why had he done that, </span>
  <em>
    <span>why had he done that?!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Virgil was only gone one day and Roman already proved himself to be untrustworthy, disloyal… dishonorable. His heart wrenched at the last thought. Roman’s honor and pride was everything to him, other than Virgil, and he had just lost all three of those. A tear rolled down Roman’s cheek. God, what an </span>
  <em>
    <span>idiot</span>
  </em>
  <span> he was!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly he heard footsteps behind him. Roman whipped around to see Janus leaning against the front door frame, staring at him with an unreadable face. Finally, after what seemed like hours but was probably only seconds, Janus spoke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well that was interesting.” Roman’s face scrunched up in anger; Janus had just caused Roman’s husband to drive away after finding out he cheated on him and </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> is what he says?!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You- you… you evil snake! I ought stab you right in your stupid heart, if you have one, that is!” he shouted, fury pulsing through his veins. At this, Janus only raised an eyebrow. “If </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>have a heart? You’re the one who betrayed your husband,” he said. “But you made me! You made me pity you, you manipulated me into doing that!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, but you could have resisted. As soon as I started kissing you, you could’ve pushed me off. But you didn’t.” Janus began to walk away, but Roman didn’t stop him. He wanted two things: to punch Janus in the nose and to never see him again. The prior wasn’t going to happen, though, so only the latter could. “You’re the only one at fault here, Roman. You just couldn’t resist the temptation,” the snakelike man said, walking up to his car across the street. He only said one thing before he climbed into the vehicle and drove off:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re weak.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Searching for Sympathy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Remus," Roman growled into the phone a day after the incident. He heard his brother gasp delightfully. "Do I hear my brother being malicious?!" his twin exclaimed. He ignored this and cut straight to the chase. "How has Janus been doing?" There was a pause; Roman could almost see Remus' eyebrow quirk upwards.</p><p>"Fine... why?"</p><p>"Well, he said you two got into a fight on Saturday."</p><p>"Oh yeah, that happened. We're over it now. Why? Wait, you were talking to Janus?"</p><p>"Yes. He came to my house crying."</p><p>"Awww, cute."</p><p>"I let him stay over because he obviously wasn't going to go back to your guys' house. Then- you know what he did, Remus?! <em>YOUR BOYFRIEND-</em>"  Roman had to restrain himself from screaming, "-manipulated me into having sex with him and cheating on my husband!" </p><p>There was silence on the other end. ally</p><p>"Yeah. He cheated on you. How unfaithful of him, I'll bet you're angry. You should confront him right no-"</p><p>Suddenly Roman was interrupted by wheezing, nasally laughter. <em>What?</em> </p><p>"You-" Another wheeze. "You think, that I am <em>angry?</em> Do you know how many times I've fucked other dudes while with Janus, or he's done the same to me?" Uncontrollable laughter filled Roman's ear as he frowned angrily. <em>Remus just... doesn't care?!</em></p><p>"Hold on Hold on Hold on. You said that you cheated on Virgil? Oh my god, I can't wait till he finds out! I'll call him right after this- oh my fucking god Roman, your life will be ruined!" The maniacal laughter continued for a few seconds before Roman cut him off.</p><p>"He already knows!"</p><p>Remus gasped. "Wait really? How did he find out? Were you fucking and he walked in? Oh, now I'm curious. Was Janus a top or were you the top? Honestly, I predict you got fucked in the ass by Janus, but yo-"</p><p>"He walked in the next morning while Janus was still in bed with me!" Roman said loudly, cutting Remus off before he could imagine further. He cringed at the memory, heart aching as he remembered Virgil's expression.</p><p>"Aw darn. At least you didn't just tell him. So! What happened after that?" <br/>
<br/>
</p><p>"He... he left. I don't know where he is now."</p><p>Remus gasped dramatically again. "Wait... so your husband <em>left you</em>."</p><p>"...Yeah... he was my everything," Roman sadly murmured, voice almost cracking. Another laugh came, then shuffling. "Anus!" Roman's eyes screwed together, then his heart dropped. Remus was calling for Janus.</p><p>"Yes?" the smooth voice was terribly familiar. "Roman called me, told me that you fucked him. Or he fucked you." "I fucked him." Roman's face heated up. "Either way, apparently you made his husband leave him. Good job, I love you babe." "It was <em>my pleasure</em>." </p><p>Roman hunched over in the chair he sat in. He just wanted <em>someone</em> on his side, and even though he didn't exactly like his brother and his brother didn't exactly like him, he still tried. He wanted someone, anyone, to see things from his perspective- even Remus. But no, he was alone.</p><p>"Janus ruined Roman's life! Janus ruined Roman's life! Janus ruined Roman's life! Janus ruined Roman's life!"</p><p>The two chanted these words over and over as the broken pieces of Roman's heart slowly but surely shattered into dust.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Boredom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next few weeks nearly drove Roman insane.</p><p>He was alone, so alone. He'd tried texting Logan and Patton, but they only either gave him angry responses or ignored him altogether. <em>Virgil probably told them, </em>he'd thought. He had other friends, sure, but he didn't feel like being with them, since they weren't that close.</p><p>Roman didn't realize how much he'd relied on Virgil. Roman was an actor (not famous or anything, though), but when he wasn't in rehearsal, he went to his job at the local grocery store. Now that his husband wasn't home, he took up a lot more shifts. That still wasn't enough to fill the boredom that crept in once he was home. Virgil, once his hours at his accounting job were over, came home and spent time with Roman- whether it be watching TV, playing board games, video games, or something else. He wasn't there anymore though. Roman tried to do those things, but they just weren't the same.</p><p>At the moment, Roman was sitting upside down on the couch, watching <em>The Workplace</em>, one of his and Virgil's favorite shows. Like the other activities, it just wasn't the same, but Roman didn't have anything else to do. However, he was now so used to the silence, that the moment he heard the sound of his front door unlocking, he uprighted himself and stood up.</p><p>The front door opened.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. He's Back</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Roman lept off the couch and sprinted through the halls. There was only one person it could be, no one else had the house key.</p><p>Virgil stood in the front doorway, back to Roman.</p><p>"Virgil!" Roman cried, speed walking over to Virgil. He began to wrap his arms around his husband, but stopped. "Listen, Virge, I'm so sorry. I was a total jerk and not loyal, I'm the worst," he said as Virgil closed the door. Now Roman noticed that he had his same suitcase, same hoodie, just a different pair of black ripped leggings. Finally, Virgil turned so that Roman could see him: his eyes were tired and the eyeshadow was darker than usual. </p><p>"I'm so sorry... Virgil are you alright?" Roman said when Virgil ignored him and walked straight <strong>(I mean gay)</strong> through the halls. He continued up the stairs and went into their room, unpacking his suitcase. "Talk to me honey, please?" he pleaded as Virgil folded an MCR shirt and set it in a drawer. </p><p>Once he was finished, Virgil put away his suitcase and went next door to his office. Sometimes Virgil had work he needed to get done at home but it was hard to concentrate, so they turned one of the guest bedrooms into an office. In it was a dark, wooden desk, a few shelves on the walls, a computer on the desk, and various other small things.</p><p>Virgil sat down in the cushioned purple office chair and turned on his computer. "Hon, please talk to me. Tell me what to do, I'll do anything," Roman begged sitting in the brown chair on the other side of the desk. No response. After a few more requests for Virgil's attention, Roman sagged in defeat. <em>He's ignoring me</em>, Roman realized. <em>I suppose I deserve this.</em></p><p><br/>Roman sighed and stood up. "I'll leave you alone, then." Geez, his voice sounded heartbroken even to <em>him.</em> Roman left Virgil's office and laid down on the couch once again. He unpaused the TV but didn't pay attention, now that Virgil was here again. God, he had really messed up. <em>Stupid Janus!</em> Roman felt like throwing the remote at the wall, but luckily restrained himself. If only he could go back in time and change what he did. He regretted it so much.</p><p>----</p><p>That night, Roman stared at the ceiling blankly. The door creaked open quietly and he glanced over to find Virgil. Roman, who had been laying in the middle of the bed, scooted to his side of the bed to make room for Virgil. The emo climbed in and turned on his side, facing away from Roman. He sighed and did the same, their backs facing each other now. Roman wanted nothing more to cuddle up to the man he loved, but alas, it was not his place now. <em>Patience,</em> was all Roman thought before he drifted into a dreamless slumber.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So I'm going on a long trip across the country with my fam. The first two weeks I'll have my laptop/phone, but for the month after that, I won't. So right before my laptop is taken, I'll make sure to feed y'all a chapter, then one when I get back. Thanks!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Not Yet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Roman awoke peacefully. He absentmindedly felt around for Virgil, but he was missing. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He stared at the ceiling blankly, not thinking about anything in particular. This had been his morning routine for the past few weeks, what with not having much to do.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Finally, he rolled out of bed and pulled on his red sweatshirt on top of his Disney pjs, then made his way downstairs. The house was quiet, too quiet for Roman’s taste.<br/></span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">I wonder where Virgil is...</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Roman padded to the kitchen, which was empty, then he checked Virgil’s office: empty. Lastly, he peeked into the living room. On the couch, Virgil’s small body was wrapped in his favorite dark purple blanket. His eyes were trained on his phone. Like the day before, Virgil didn’t acknowledge Roman’s presence. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hesitantly, Roman walked over to Virgil and stopped in front of him. Leaning down, he planted a very gentle kiss right above the emo’s eyebrow. Again, Virgil said and did nothing- the only sign he’d received the kiss was that his fingers momentarily slowed as they moved over his phone. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Then, as soon as he came, Roman stepped back out of his room, heading to the kitchen to make himself breakfast.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As soon as Roman was gone, Virgil lifted his head and stared at the doorway where Roman had left. Half of him yearned to go over to him, to kiss him like there was no tomorrow, to love him again. But the other half wasn’t quite ready to forgive him yet. That wound hadn’t healed entirely, and Virgil wasn’t prepared to love the man who’d betrayed him.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Not yet.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay this is the last update you’ll get for about a month, I’m going to camp tomorrow! As soon as I get my phone back, I’m definitely writing a chapter.<br/>Stay safe guys!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Maybe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'M BACK BABY</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day, Roman did the exact same thing: found Virgil, wherever he was that morning, and placed a gentle kiss right above his eyebrow. No words spoken, no other (intentional) physical contact. It continued this way for the next few days, then a week. Then another week.</p><p>Roman was hurting.</p><p>Virgil was hurting.</p><p>But Virgil needed time, and Roman respected that. Hell, he was grateful because he knew it was either this, letting Virgil take time to heal, or losing him forever. It gave Roman shivers every time he thought about what would happen if Virgil wasn't willing to give him a second chance...</p><p>Divorce papers, moving boxes, courtrooms. The thought of Virgil leaving him was enough to make him break down. Sometimes he was able to hold it back, but sometimes he couldn't.</p><p>When he thought of that, Roman would go into their backyard and sit. There was a bench underneath a white wooden arch, covered in lilacs. Roman had insisted on building this because he and Virgil could sit underneath it like a fairy tale. The strong scent of the flowers comforted him in knowing that happy ending might still happen. </p><p>It was during one of these times that Roman was sitting on the bench that the back door opened. He'd been sitting with his eyes closed, smelling the sweet perfume of the blossoms around him. When the door opened, Roman's eyes followed suit. He glanced back to see Virgil approaching the bench as well. His heartbeat increased at the sight of his husband coming to him, but he didn't want to get his hopes up.</p><p>The emo walked around the arch and sat right next to Roman. The weather was clear, but not too hot. It was a perfect day, Roman had decided earlier. Another thing that was perfect, Roman observed as he gazed down at the other man, was Virgil's eyes. In normal light, they looked dark brown, not too special. But in the sunlight they glistened, with his eyelashes casting thin needles of shadow over his irises and pupils. Roman's heart fluttered when those pupils turned to look at him.</p><p>Virgil was looking at him. Acknowledging him.</p><p>Roman found it hard to believe- but could you blame him? After around two weeks, his husband was finally making eye contact. He didn't want to ruin the moment, so he said nothing, did nothing but stare back. He wanted to preserve it in case Virgil went back to ignoring him.</p><p>But he did nothing of the sort. Instead, Virgil looked down at Roman's hand, which was resting on the bench between them. Roman followed his gaze. Carefully and gently, Virgil took Roman's hand. He almost cried out with happiness and relief- he was holding his hand! It was soft, small in Roman's grasp. He carefully tightened it, though not too tight in case the other wanted to let go.</p><p>Then in the beautiful daylight, Virgil looked back up at him, scooting closer towards him. With his free hand, he reached up to cup Roman's cheek. In return, he smiled softly, silently conveying a <em>thank you</em>. An identical smile appeared on Virgil's face before his eyes flickered towards Roman's lips. Slowly, he leaned forward, tilting his head. Roman did the same, shifting his weight towards his husband.</p><p>Then, their lips touched.</p><p>The contact sent an electric shock through Roman's body. It was light the last piece of the puzzle had just been fit into the picture, the missing piece. Virgil was all Roman wanted, and in this moment, he had him. They had each other. Roman reached his other hand and set it on Virgil's waist, pulling him closer. As their lips passionately molded together, Roman had one thought. It was hopeful and maybe untrue, but a thought nonetheless:</p><p>
  <em>Maybe everything could be alright again.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is the last chapter, thank y'all for sticking with me to the end!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong> <span class="u">A Few Weeks Later...</span> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Virgil, Roman, Patton, and Logan sat in the emo and theatrical man's living room, TV blaring. Virgil sat on the couch regularly, for once, but only so he could be cuddled up to Roman. Logan and Patton sat on the floor, Patton's head on his husband's shoulder. Their hands were intertwined between them on the floor.</p><p> </p><p>"<em>...ome people are worth melting for."</em>  Josh Gad's voice said. Logan heard a sniffle and looked down at Patton, who he found was crying. "Patton, why are you crying?" he asked quietly. He then heard another sniffle from above him. "How could you <em>not</em> be crying? This is so sad! Olaf is willing to sacrifice himself and you're just <em>sitting there?! </em>Disgraceful!" Roman exclaimed, a few tears running down his own cheeks. Logan, baffled, screwed his eyebrows together. "It's just a movie!" he cried. </p><p>"It's okay Logan, I don't get it either," Virgil's sleepy voice said from behind Roman. Said man turned towards him shockingly. "Says the person who was crying during Lion King!" he accused. Virgil's eyes snapped open and he sat up angrily. "You promised me you'd never tell anyone else!" he snapped. "Well when you went insulting Disney for making touching stories, you should've expected this to happen!" Roman replied stubbornly.</p><p>"And anyway, everyone cries during Lion King! You yourself were full on sobbing, though you'd seen it a million times," Virgil responded.</p><p>"That doesn't mean you didn't cry."</p><p>"Well <em>so whatI?!"</em></p><p>"<em>So,</em> you can't go judging people for crying during Frozen when you yourself ha-"</p><p>"Okay you two!" Patton's voice rang out over the other couple, who looked over at him. "Just keep watching the movie." Both of them sighed and returned to their former position, though Virgil was now crossing his arms while he pressed himself up against Roman's figure. After a few moments, Roman tilted head down and pressed a kiss to Virgil's forehead, a silent apology. In return, the emo kissed his cheek, and the lighthearted argument was over.</p><p>It was these moments, these times, that helped Virgil heal.</p><p>Little by Little.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p>Logan looked between all of them before huffing a sigh in defeat. They never explained why they were crying!</p>
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